Amazon Has Reportedly Shelved Woody Allen’s Next Film ‘A Rainy Day In New York’

Though sexual assault allegations against Woody Allen have been known for over two decades, it’s only recently that Hollywood has finally begun to listen. The #MeToo movement has helped remind the industry of Dylan Farrow’s longstanding accusations of sexual abuse, which she detailed in a 2014 New York Times op-ed and again recently in her first TV interview earlier this year. But one big questioned remained: what Amazon Studios would do with Allen’s next film. Now it sounds like that movie will never see the light of day.

While the film was originally set to open sometime this year, Page Six now reports that Amazon has allegedly “shelved” the movie indefinitely. The studio told the site, “No release date has ever been set for the film.” It’s unclear if that means just no theatrical release, or any release, including a digital one. Earlier this year, one report claimed Amazon might just scrap the film’s theatrical plans and quietly dump it online to stream with no publicity. As of now, it’s unclear if the movie will ever be seen at all.

It’s not just the resurfaced allegations that Amazon has to worry about either. One report revealed that the movie features a plot in which a character played by Jude Law, 45-years-old in real life, has a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl, played by Elle Fanning (20 in real life). It’s not like older men lusting after younger women is anything new for the filmmaker – um, have you seen a Woody Allen movie? – but in light of the allegations, and the growing conversation around the #MeToo movement, releasing this movie is certainly a bad idea for Amazon.

Dylan accused the director of molesting her in an attic crawl-space in 1992. Allen has denied the allegations, most recently in a statement released this year. As of now, Amazon still has a deal with the filmmaker for three more movies, but it’s unknown what will happen with that. One rumor earlier this week suggested Allen was taking a break from filmmaking, but a rep quickly shot it down. Will he lay low for nine months and resurface unannounced at the Comedy Cellar? Oh wait that wasn’t him.